1. Field Of The Invention
This invention relates, in general, to containers and, more specifically, to containers having means for dispensing articles from the interior thereof.
2. Description Of The Prior Art
Containers which include means for dispensing small articles, such as pills, tablets, etc., are well known. Such containers typically include a closure member or cover which is moved to open an outlet in the container to permit the discharge of articles from the interior of the container singly or in succession. Such containers also include a narrow delivery portion or throat for aligning the articles serially so as to enable the articles to be discharged from the container in succession.
It is also known to construct containers which are adapted to discharge articles one at a time. Such containers include a specially designed flap or closure member which is operative to receive one article from the interior of the container at a time and to dispense the single article when moved to an open position. However, such specially designed flaps or closure members increase the cost of such containers due to their complexity.
Such previously designed dispensers and containers have also been difficult to use with rounded articles, such as pellets, balls, etc., due to the tendency of such articles to roll under the influence of gravity, thereby causing a large number of articles to roll out of the container when the flap or cover member is moved to the open position.
Thus, it would be desirable to provide a dispensing container which is operative to dispense a single article at a time. It would also be desirable to provide a dispensing container for dispensing single articles having a substantially rounded shape. It would also be desirable to provide a dispensing container for dispensing single articles which may be worn by a user and mounted with the outlet disposed in a downward orientation. Finally, it would be desirable to provide a dispensing container which is inexpensive to manufacture.